Daily Inspiration: Meet Sammi Accola

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sammi Accola.

Hi Sammi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started singing lessons at the age of about 7 years old and then started learning band dynamics at the local School of Rock, where I learned to LOVE the blues, the Beatles, and the joy of performing!

I moved to Florida at 10 years old and had the privilege of playing in my school’s band, inspired by a mix of Carrie Underwood and Nina Simone haha! I performed local gigs all around town and eventually decided to move to Nashville to pursue music as a college student and now professionally!

Would love to talk more about this in person… but the process has been so unexpected and LEARNING! The creatives in Nashville inspire me every single day and collaboration is a HUGE part of my process. I love learning from others and just soaking up ideas from the world around me.

Sammi Accola is a 21-year-old Americana singer-songwriter from Seaside, Florida, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Studying songwriting and journalism at Belmont University, she hopes to create music that inspires change, exudes honesty, wrestles with life’s deepest questions & befriends each listener.

Sammi played at the 2022 & 2023 30a Songwriters Festival in Florida. She sang on the same bill as some of her songwriting heroes: Rickie Lee Jones, Patty Griffin, Dawes, Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls), and many more.

Leading her band, Sammi played in the 2022 Moon Crush Festival April 21-24, opening for Brandi Carlile, Lake Street Dive, Tedeschi Trucks, Caamp, and My Morning Jacket. Releasing her Debut EP “Horizon Eyes” on November 12, 2021, Sammi went on to host a full-band EP Release Show at The Black River Stage on November 14th, selling out the show!

In a collaboration with Sony music publishing and Belmont University, Sammi was invited to play in the 2022 ASCAP Writers Showcase. Sammi is a 2022 Nissan & Bose influencer for the Belmont Artist Spotlight program and is grateful for every opportunity that keeps her singing.

Coming up, Sammi will be playing in the Belmont “Best of the Best” Showcase on April 15th, 2023 with her all-female band after winning the Christian Showcase in November.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I am thankful for the female trailblazers before me, of whom I am stepping next to their footprints, while also carving out different crossroads.

I’ve spent the last four years studying Songwriting at Belmont University here in town and just graduated this past semester. Belmont has prepared me with so many different experiences, such as ASCAP writer showcases to “Best of the Best” coming up where I will be performing as an artist with a 10-piece all-female band.

But, navigating post-grad as an unsigned artist comes with many unique challenges. So much of the process is just persevering with a hopeful mindset in an industry that can feel like you are the product. Protecting my dignity, and personal convictions and walking boldly in the face of a culture that could easily lead to just living for the approval of others. I would love to expand upon this in person or over the phone because it is SUCH a reality.

My identity is not in my music, my artistry, or the number of streams I get. I am simply beloved.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in writing honest anthemic songs that tell meaningful stories!

Currently, I am working with women survivors of abuse, addiction, and human trafficking at a local Nashville nonprofit, Thistle Farms. Their stories are genuinely a muse for my creation and songwriting process. I learn so much from their resiliency and genuinely any platform I have, I want it to be to advocate for them. Essentially, my platform is theirs. I want to be a voice for the voiceless and I have high hopes to one day form a nonprofit that partners professional songwriters with women survivors to write their stories into songs.

I am most proud of being a good friend and child of God. People matter so much to me and so much to God. I want to create inclusive, deeply loving communities where people can navigate their questions freely and feel safe enough to share their celebrations and struggles.

This past year, I’ve had the INCREDIBLE opportunity to form a 10-piece, all-female band called “Sammi Accola & The Holy Women.”

I felt called to uplift women in the music industry after working at a publishing company, longing to see more female musicians be celebrated. We recently won Belmont University’s Christian Showcase and will be playing the “Best of the Best” showcase alongside other students from diverse genres on April 15th at 7 pm at the Belmont Curb Arena.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
“Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8.

I want to live a life of service, collaboration, celebration, and sincerity. I am not my own. My music is not my own.

But I hope to continue stewarding every single relationship and opportunity with thankfulness, boldness, and passion!

Love wins.

Contact Info:

• Website: sammiaccola.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammiaccola/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sammi.accola/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammi-accola/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogKP130sFF9rm07NxsWMHA

Image Credits
Nissan Photo, Harrison Shook, Christian Showcase, Miranda Musgrave, Ainsley Barousse, and Paige Jackson